Blogs
Sarcomere Length-Tension Misconceptions
The sarcomere is the fundamental force-generating unit of muscle. It follows a predictable length-tension relationship, and this is fairly well-understood by many who study muscle, train individuals, and rehabilitate patients. If I were to ask a personal trainer, physical therapist, or exercise science student, I am sure (hopeful?) that they could tell me that this relationship consists of an ascending limb at short lengths, a plateau in the middle, and a descending limb at long lengths. However, things may start to become unclear when asking people what the plateau in the middle – where sarcomeres produce the most force – is called. The purpose of this post is hash out some confusion regarding nomenclature and the point at which sarcomeres can produce the most force.
July 20, 2017
Joint Forces
Introduction The late, great physicist and Nobel Laureate Richard Feyman once said, “I know what it means to know something.” By this, he meant that he understood the process through which one must go in order to know that something was true, and what standards are necessary in order to claim that one has found something to be true. In the same interview, Feyman spoke about pseudoscience and people having the chutzpah to write on topics as if they are definite truths, even though said topic had not been investigated. Such writings are prevalent in articles within not only the fitness industry, but also within exercise science and physical therapy, especially as they pertain to biomechanics. As I slowly make my way through graduate school, where my concentration is on biomechanics, my frustrations with these writings continue to increase and can no longer be ignored. Thus, I have decided to start writing (more) regularly in order to address common mistakes and misconceptions within the area of biomechanics. Ultimately, the purpose of my writing is to educate and inform readers about higher-level or often-misconstrued topics in biomechanics. I should mention, much of my writing assumes that the reader has a basic understanding of mechanical concepts; that is, from an introductory physics course.
December 13, 2016